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| Cave Bear
Extinct (c. 8000 BC)
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| Ursus spelaeus Rosenmüller, 1794 |
The Cave Bear (Ursus spelaeus) was a species of bear which lived in Europe during the Pleistocene and became extinct at the end of the last ice age about 10,000 years ago.
Both the name Cave Bear and the scientific name spelaeus derive from the fact that fossils of this species were mostly found in caves, indicating that this species spent more time in caves than the Brown Bear which only uses caves for hibernation. Many caves in Europe have skeletons of cave bears on display, for example the Heinrichshöhle in Hemer or the Dechenhöhle in IserlohnIserlohn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located at the north end of the Sauerland near the Ruhr river, at 51° 23' North, 7° 40' East. Population: 102,456 (2001). It's the biggest city in the Markischer Kreis, both by area and populati, GermanyThe Federal Republic of Germany ( German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland is one of the world's leading industrialized countries, located in the middle of the European Union. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark and the Baltic Sea, to the east.
Being about 30% bigger than the Brown Bear, the most notable difference between the two species is the steeper forehead of the cave bear. It was an omnivoreOmnivores are organisms that consume on both plants and animals. At one time the word omnivore was used to designate the pig family. Examples: Mammals many pigs many bears many primates (including humans) domestic dogs some rodents, including mice, rats,, eating herbs, grass, berries, but also honey and occasionally small animals.
The change of climate at the end of the Würm Ice Age changed the flora significantly, however far from the first time an ice age had ended and a human role in the extinction is possible.
It is suspected that cave bears were worshipped by some prehistoric Europeans, and shrines and altars have been found with cave bear-like carvings. A fictional interpretation of such worship can be found in Jean M. AuelJean Marie Auel (born February 18, 1936 in Chicago, Illinois) is a writer, who is best known for the Earth's Children books, a series of books set in prehistoric Europe which explores interactions of Cro-Magnon people with Neanderthals. Her books have sol's novel The Clan of the Cave Bear.